The Price of Fame
by ladydolce
Summary: Anzu is a famous dancer after years of dedicated training. But after being in the spotlight for so long she just wants to return to being a normal woman.


Disclaimer: I don't own YGO! If I did I wouldn't be writing fanfiction and Seto and Anzu would be an official couple.

* * *

Anzu sighed as she sat down on the park bench. It was a beautiful day. The weather was warm and sunny and she thoroughly enjoyed the calming atmosphere. She smiled and watched the two little boys playing in the sandbox. They were trying to build a sandcastle but were having some difficulty due to their constant bickering. She laughed. They reminded her of Honda and Jou who had their differences. And just like her obnoxious friends they made up almost instantly. Anzu silently continued watching when she heard someone walking in her direction. She turned her head slightly when a blonde woman a little older than her stopped by her side.

"Excuse me miss. May I sit next to you?" She gestured to the empty space beside the brunette and Anzu nodded granting her permission. The woman sighed softly and sat next to her. She turned towards her companion and extended her hand. "I'm Miko by the way." Anzu shook her hand and smiled.

"And I'm Anzu." The blonde gasped and her green eyes widened.

"You wouldn't happen to be Anzu Mazaki would you?" Anzu nodded hesitantly and Miko squealed. "Oh my gosh! It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Anzu. My younger sister is a big fan of yours. She's training to be a ballerina just like you!" The woman gushed. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just wished my sister could have met you. It would have made her the happiest 15 year old on the planet." Anzu continued to smile at Miko who blushed in embarrassment for acting like a fan girl.

"It's okay, I don't mind. I'm used to all the attention." She looked down in her lap sadly and sighed. Miko suddenly felt even worse for her behaviour and apologized again. Anzu just waved off her apology and continued to watch the two children play.

"Miss Anzu?" She once again looked at the woman next to her and saw that she was staring at the ground. Miko raised her head and stared into Anzu's blue eyes. "It must be difficult being a celebrity. You have no privacy and the public's always chasing you down, not to mention the press." Anzu nodded slowly and replied.

"It can be tiresome and sometimes even stressful but I don't mind. I've been in the media's eyes since I was nineteen so after six years its like taking a shower." She laughed and Miko smiled. "Still," Her voice became sad again and she stared at her hand. "I wish I could be normal again if only for a day." The conversation ceased after that and both women were staring off into the distance. Their thoughts reflected on Anzu's words. Suddenly Anzu was jerked out of her thoughts when Miko sprang to her feet. Her green eyes filled with mirth and Anzu stared back at her curiously.

"Miss Anzu. How would you like to be a normal woman again?" The brunette just kept on staring at her as if she was crazy. "You said you wanted to get away for a day right?" Anzu nodded. "Well I'm not expected back at home for about three hours so why don't I treat you to a perfectly normal afternoon?" Anzu smiled at the idea and stood from her place on the bench. Now that she was standing, she noticed that the blonde was a little shorter than her. Flashing her a grin she nodded.

"Okay. Why not?" Waving goodbye to the two boys they made their way downtown.

* * *

Anzu laughed at the small joke her new friend made. She was enjoying her afternoon for once and was happy to just be able to walk around town without being mobbed. Of course she had to change her appearance a bit. She discarded her designer clothes for a pair of plain black jeans, a blue tank top and hoody and her hair was swept up in a messy pony tail. They visited all the places she couldn't visit before without at least ten bodyguards and she enjoyed her conversations with the older woman who was two years her senior. It wasn't just about Anzu Mazaki and she loved it.

Miko sat across from Anzu and smiled contentedly when she saw her laugh at one of her stupid jokes. She didn't seem to be sad anymore and her presence exuded cheerfulness. She had learnt so much about her adventures and was shocked when she heard the dancer say she wanted to know about her boring life. She had always thought celebrities wanted to talk about themselves constantly and didn't care about anyone else. Apparently she had been wrong. Anzu seemed down to earth and if they weren't from different worlds they could honestly be best friends. She took a sip from her drink and smiled.

"You seem very happy Anzu." She had stopped calling her 'Miss Anzu' since the former asked her not to.

"Yeah. Thank you for today. I really appreciate it." Miko shook her head blushing slightly.

"Oh its nothing." She glanced at Anzu's hand and caught the sight of a thick, platinum band around her left ring finger. "Oh my gosh Anzu! Is that a..." She trailed off and Anzu stared at the ring. She turned it around and Miko gasped at the large square cut diamond sitting primly in the middle of the band with two smaller ones flanking it.

"Its not an engagement ring." She said and smiled fondly at it as if remembering a wonderful memory. Maybe she was. "Its more like a promise ring."

"A promise ring?" Miko echoed confused. Anzu nodded and turned it around again, hiding the diamonds on the other side of her hand.

"My boyfriend and I don't want to get married yet because of our careers. Its difficult to maintain a relationship when I'm away from Domino for almost three months at a time." Miko nodded understanding how much strain that could be on a person's love life. Anzu looked at her and smiled happily. "But even though he's busy almost all the time, he still comes to every one of my performances no matter what. Sometimes even bringing his mistress also known as work along." The women shared a brief laugh.

"Aren't you upset that he works when he comes to visit you? Oh I'm sorry I didn't mean to pry!" She exclaimed when she realised what she was asking. Anzu just shook it off.

"Its okay. I trust you." Miko blushed. "Of course I get upset. What woman wouldn't be if the man she loves is working himself so hard?" She paused for a moment and continued. "But like in every relationship there has to be compromise for it to work out successfully. That's why we've been together for so long." Miko nodded.

"I promise I won't tell anyone what you told me today." Anzu smiled. "When I first saw you I didn't recognize you because you looked so sad. But now your demeanor has changed. You look absolutely radiant! Kinda like my husband when a football game is on." She laughed and Anzu joined her.

"You never told me how you met your husband." Miko smiled and prepared to tell Anzu about her funny adventures with her hubby.

"Well we met back in high school and..."

An hour passed and Miko stood from her seat and glanced at her companion apologetically. "I'm really sorry Anzu but I have to get home. My husband would be worried if he arrives home from work and I'm not there." Anzu smiled and stood as well gathering her shopping.

"That's okay. I have to be getting home too otherwise my significant other would think I got kidnapped or something." Both women walked out of the cafe which they were at for over an hour and a half. Anzu smiled and hugged the older woman thanking her again for the wonderful afternoon and then pulled away watching her face color.

"You're welcome Anzu." She replied and watched as Anzu reach into her purse and pull out a small white card placing it in her hands. She looked at it curiously and saw a neat set of numbers under the cursive writing of the brunette's name.

"Call me anytime. I would love to meet your sister as well as hang out with you again." Miko smiled and hugged her again.

"Thank you. I will. So does this mean we're friends?" She looked at Anzu hopefully.

"You bet!" She replied smiling gleefully. They hugged again and parted ways with Miko promising to meet her for coffee very soon.

* * *

Anzu sighed as she opened the door to the mansion. She walked upstairs and threw her shopping on the bed then went into the bathroom to take a bath. After a long soak in the tub she got dressed and walked downstairs to see a familiar face staring at her from the couch in the living room.

"Hey you." She said and sat on his lap. "When did you get in?" She asked as she nuzzled his neck. The man wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the side of her head.

"About five minutes ago. I saw you relaxing in the bathtub and I didn't want to disturb you. You looked relaxed." He brushed her bangs aside and kissed her lips softly. Anzu sighed and rest her head on his chest playing with his tie while staring at the promise ring he gave her.

"I met someone at the park today. She was very nice. We spent the afternoon together shopping."

"I hope you had a good time."

"I did. I felt like a normal person again. No paparazzi. No fans. And no unnecessary stress."

"I'm glad you had fun." He ran his hands through her hair and adjusted her slightly on his lap. "I know you've been feeling a little depressed lately." He said looking at her worriedly. Anzu sighed and snuggled closer to him.

"Can you blame me Seto? All I want is to be normal again." Seto sighed and raised her head so she was looking at him.

"Anzu, you'll never be a normal person again. That's the price of fame." She nodded and stared at the ring again.

"Seto?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you love me?" She asked looking into his dark eyes. He was quiet for a while and she knew what his response would be. Anzu disentangled herself from his arms and stood only to get pulled back down onto his lap.

"You know I love you Anzu." He said softly and squeezed her hand gently. She didn't look at him and kept her gazed fixated on her ring. He noticed what she was staring at and brought her hand between their faces. "This ring should be all the proof you need." He stopped and stared into her azure eyes. "I wouldn't have given you this with the intent of marrying you if I didn't love you." Anzu closed her eyes when she felt them burn with fresh tears. She didn't want to cry in front of him. Taking a deep breath she looked at him again.

"Then why don't you say it?"

"Say what?"

"That you love me!" The tears were coming back and she could feel them running down her cheeks. A strong hand brushed them away and settled against her neck.

"I do say it Anzu." She shook her head and glared at him.

"No! Not once have you told me those words. Even when you gave me this ring you didn't say it! How am I supposed to know what you feel for me when you hide all of your emotions?!" Seto took her hands in his and tried to be patient.

"Just because I don't say it doesn't mean I don't feel that way about you." He took out his handkerchief and wiped the tears off her face. "You of all people should know how difficult it is for me to show my emotions." Anzu calmed down and rest her head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry Seto." She mumbled into his shirt. "I'm just stressed and I'm taking it out on you." He rubbed her back soothingly.

"Its okay." They stayed like that for a while, silently listening to the other breathe. Anzu lifted her head and smiled at him.

"Today has definitely been an eventful day for me." Seto chuckled softly before his face became serious.

"Was this the reason why you've been so depressed lately?" She shook her head.

"No. It was part of it yes, but the overall reason was because I wanted to get away from my life as a celebrity." Seto took her face in his hands and kissed her. Releasing her from his lips he gave her a small smile.

"Well, I've cleared my schedule for the weekend so how about we just take a break from everything?" Anzu's eyes lit up and she threw her arms around his neck.

"That would be wonderful Seto!" She giggled happily. "Thank you."

"Its nothing." He kissed her again and whispered. "I love you Anzu." He watched as her eyes softened and she leaned into him kissing his lips again.

"I love you too Seto."

* * *

A/N: Ta-da! Another Azureshipping fic completed! I hope you guys enjoyed reading it. I have another one to post but I have to make some changes to it so you might see it in the near future! Please review.

And to all you Yu-Gi-Oh! fans out there. A new series called Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's will be airing on the CW September 20th (Ugh! I sounded like an ad) well anyways let's hope 4Kids didn't screw this up like the previous series.


End file.
